Start of something great
by KSD17
Summary: My take on the first episode of season 4. Zoe tries her best to win Wade back but he is not giving in, no matter how hard she tries. One shot


Wade could smell something delicious as he approached Lavon's kitchen. "Man, I'm glad you stopped wallowing 'bout George chasin' Lemon and made breakfast! Smells damn good!" He stopped in his tracks when he saw Zoe standing in the kitchen, plate in hand. "Morning' Doc. Didn' expect to see you up so early!"

Zoe lit up when her eyes met his. "Morning Wade, I made you breakfast". Wade eyed the plate Zoe was handing him suspiciously. "Now hold up. YOU made this?" Zoe nodded enthusiastically, still holding the plate.

Wade took it reluctantly, sitting down on the stool. Picking up his fork, he played with the eggs. Zoe glared at him over her cup of coffee, "it's good, I promise!" Wade scrunched up his nose, Zoe glared at him again. "No offense, Doc, but I was there for the Gumbo disaster of '11". "Well, that was a long time ago and breakfast is not THAT hard to make. Eat it!" Wade took a bite of the eggs. He nodded, impressed.

"Not bad, Doc. Not bad at all. What's the occasion?" Wade asked, mouth still full. "I told you that I was going to prove to you that we belong together and that's what I'm doing." Wade looked into her eyes, full of hope. "So... I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies tonight?" Wade burst out laughing at this. "What, we gonna see Robocop at the library?" At this, Zoe looked down, clearly embarrassed.

"Thanks for the offer Doc, but I'm gonna have to pass." Wade said as he picked up a piece of toast, heading for the door. "Thanks for the grub. Turns out you can cook!"

"I'm gonna prove to you that we belong together, you'll see!" Zoe called out after him. She heard him chuckle as the door closed behind him.

As soon as he was sure the door was closed, Wade leant up against the wall. Rubbing his hand over his eyes, he sighed out in frustration. _God, she looked cute. _He shook his head quickly. _You gotta be strong man, it's not worth getting hurt again_, he thought to himself. Pulling himself together, he headed off towards the gate house.

Wanda and AB were sitting in Zoe's office. Wanda was there for her first sonogram for baby Long. "How things going with Operation Get Wade Back?" AB asked while Wanda lay back on the examination table. Zoe sighed, "I had a list of ideas but..." AB and Wanda looked at her expectantly. "Well, let's hear it!" Zoe went to get a notebook out of her desk drawer.

Wanda read through some of the ideas while AB listened attentively. "Make him breakfast. Ask him to movies". "Well, go on, what's the rest?" AB asked impatiently. "That's it. Come on Zoe. Even my unborn baby is disappointed!"

Zoe frowned, "I tried! I didn't think I'd have to do anything more! I was expecting this to be easy! What can I do?" She was almost whining. AB looked at her with her eyes full of pity.

"You need to make a grand romantic gesture! I think you should serenade him. Tom loves it when I sing to him! You remember that's how we got engaged. And truth be told, that's how this guy was conceived!" "Oooh, that's a great idea. Also, way too TMI," AB chimed in. Zoe looked unsure but nodded.

That night, the speaker was set up outside the gatehouse and Wanda, AB and Crickett were ready with their best back up dance moves. "Ok Zoe, you've got this! This is your John Cusack with a boom box moment," Wanda encouraged. She pushed play and they went all out. Half way through the second chorus, a shirtless man stood on the porch. Unfortunately, it was not the shirtless man Zoe was hoping to see.

Zoe stopped singing abruptly, "Meatball?! Where's Wade?" "He's working tonight. Lily Ann locked me outta my place so I'm crashin' here for a while." Zoe's shoulders slumped, "This is not how it went down for John Cusack." "Who is John Cusack? Does he live in Bluebell? I can't remember anyone around town holding a boom box" Crickett asked, completely out of the blue. AB, Wanda and Zoe just looked at her. They packed up their things and sauntered to the carriage house where they drank copious amounts of wine, Wanda sticking to water, of course.

The next day, Zoe saw Wade unpacking the black bags from his car, from his cancelled Atlanta move. She walked over with a big smile on her face. "Good morning Wade, beautiful day isn't it?" "Mornin' Doc. I heard you made quite the scene over at my place last night? Meatball suggested you join our band", he smirked.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. I did it for you. It was meant to be a grand romantic gesture." Wade smirked, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. "Doc, don't waste your time. It ain't gonna work." Zoe scoffed, "trust me Wade, no man is immune to all of this," as she motioned from top to toe. She gave him a smile and walked away. He called after her, much like she did to him the previous morning, "trust me Doc, I have been thoroughly inoculated." Zoe waved him off and went on her way. _I wish there was an inoculation for Zoe Hart_ he thought as he went back to his unpacking.

Zoe was walking through town square when she saw George and Lavon arguing. "George, Lavon. Just the people I was looking for," she said as she walked over to them. "Zoe, thank goodness you're here. You can settle this for us once and for all! Which one of us belongs with Lemon?" George asked. Zoe looked at him, confused.

"What? You BOTH want Lemon? Lavon... What about AB? Wait... I don't wanna hear it. I don't have time for this. I need help. How can I win Wade over? Nothing I've tried has worked," she rambled on. George and Lavon looked at her like she had two heads. "Have you tried sex?'' George asked. "That's what I was gonna suggest. I was gonna suggest it first," Lavon interrupted. George and Lavon glared at each other, crossing their arms over their chests.

Zoe rolled her eyes at their bickering, "I'm looking for something romantic!" "No, sex is better," George said. Lavon nodded enthusiastically. Zoe sighed. Her brown eyes were filled with worry and confusion. "Big Z," Lavon started, "Wade may have changed and grown up but he's still Wade. Sex is the answer." Zoe huffed and stormed off. She really didn't want to seduce him but the more she thought about it, the more she realised they had a point. As she walked back to the carriage house, she saw Wade standing on his porch talking to Earl. _No time like the present _she thought. She went into her carriage house and quickly changed into her two piece and made her way to the pond.

Wade was talking animatedly to Earl, trying to convince himself that getting back with Zoe was a bad idea, "Me and Zoe, we're like a stick of dynamite. Alright, one with them long fuses. Everything's fine, no trouble here, all the while psssssssst and then KABLANG". Earl looked at him, shaking his head. His son was so stubborn sometimes. There was a splash and Wade walked over to the railing, overlooking the pond. Zoe rose from out the water, flipping her hair back. It was like she was moving in slow motion. Wade rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, a nervous habit. "Kablang," he repeated as she smiled at him. He wiped his mouth as Earl looked on. Wade walked into his carriage house, slamming the door behind him. Zoe looked after him, disappointed. "Pretty lady, you are his Mrs Romeo. Don' give up!" She smiled up at the old man, turning to swim back to shore. Inside, Wade was trying to calm his thoughts. He could not go back to Zoe, not after everything that happened. But she sure was making it hard to resist.

That night, Wade was sitting in his gate house, strumming mindlessly on his guitar. He needed a distraction from Zoe. Her advances were getting harder to turn down. He obviously still loved her, he always would but she hurt him so much. Yes, he cheated but they had moved on from that, even if he would always feel guilty and wish that he could take it back. Her sending that email and then returning with Joel after 5 months, saying she loved him so openly broke him. He so badly wanted to take her into his arms and tell her he loved her but how long would it be till she changed her mind again? He had to watch her being for months and he could never really fully move on. Yes, he cared for Vivian but if he was honest with himself, he was more upset when it ended because Zoe was standing with her big, brown eyes looking at him like his puppy had just died. And in that moment, he knew how she must have felt when he cheated. He got mad at her because it brought back all the hurt and reminded him of what he had lost with her. How could he be sure that she really loved him? Her confession at Meatball's wedding was so out of the blue, all hope had stopped when she told him to move on after their drugged up kiss in the hay maze. Did she only think she loved him because he was leaving? He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of heels on his floor. He knew who they belonged to immediately.

Zoe walked in wearing nothing but heels, lingerie and a printed jacket. Wade gulped as he put his guitar to the side. Zoe walked towards him slowly and put her leg up on the table. He rubbed his hand over his face, his breath catching in his throat. "This is going to be hard to resist", he said and she smiled. "That's the plan" she replied with a seductive smile. One half of him wanted to bolt, to protect himself but the other half missed the taste of her lips on his and so badly wanted to take her into his arms and show her just how much he loved and missed her. Zoe walked forward while dropping her jacket to the floor, slowly sitting on his lap, straddling him. She bit her lip, eyes wide. His breath caught in his throat again as she leaned in. He placed his hands on her waist and their lips met. She smiled into his mouth as the intensity increased. His hands moved up her back, feeling the soft skin he missed so much. She moaned lightly, parting her mouth as his tongue begged for access. _God I missed this _he thought_._ His lips moved to her neck and she arched her back. "Wade," she moaned. Hearing her say his name like that got him more riled up and he moved his mouth back to her lips. Her hands slid down his abs and she felt him shiver. She kept thinking about how good this felt. Her thoughts were fuzzy. She definitely never felt this way with Joel. Shaking that thought off, her hands moved to unbutton his jeans. She grazed a spot she knows is ticklish and he laughed, not letting that stop their kiss. Things started heating up and Wade lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips and they made their way to the bed, their lips never parting. He placed her gently on the bed and hovered over her. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. "I've waited so long for this, Wade. I'm so happy we're doing this. I love you." Wade sat up and looked at her, her lips swollen and hair mussed.

"Zoe, I... I can't do this." Her face fell and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't want this to be about sex. I... I'm sorry." He got up off the bed and pulled his jeans back on. She sat there, in silence, watching him. All of a sudden, it was like something snapped her back to reality. She stood up, grabbed her jacket and ran out of his place. He sighed and put his head in his hands. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat back. Eventually, after 3 beers, he made his way to the door. He needed to speak to someone about this. Stupid Lemon on her stupid cruise. He needed her talk him down from running over to Zoe's place and taking her back.

Half way to Lavon's, he saw Zoe approaching him. "Doc, how many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested?" "You love me Wade, admit it," she responded, almost begging. "Look, Zoe. It doesn't matter how I feel. I've told you before, we tried before and it didn't work." She stepped back like she had been slapped and he saw a look of defeat cross her face but she quickly recovered and got that stubborn, determined look on her face that he knows so well. "I told you that I will prove to you that we belong together. As long as it takes and I will. Don't count me out yet. We will be back together soon. I felt it when we kissed tonight. You love me. Just stop fighting it"! He smiled warmly at her, so badly wanting to listen to her. He stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead, his eyes closing as he breathed in the smell of her shampoo. He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there confused.

Three days later, Zoe was still no closer to winning Wade's affections. She wasn't used to working so hard to get his attention. She was sitting in her office trying to make a new list when none other than Lemon walked in. "Lemon, welcome back! I thought you were only going to back after a month?" "I know but I met someone! He's a doctor and he's very handsome!" Zoe looked at her shocked, "Have you seen George and Lavon yet?" Lemon looked confused as AB entered. Zoe cleared her throat and Lemon went to hug AB.

After they both sat down, Lemon asked Zoe how things are going with Wade. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. No matter what I try, he isn't giving in. He even turned down sex!" She proceeded to fill Lemon in on all the details of Operation Get Wade Back. When she was done, Lemon looked unimpressed. "Doctor Hart. You are ridiculous." Zoe looked offended, Lemon continued. "You and Wade need to sit down and have a proper conversation. You both claim to have grown and changed but you are still scheming. The truth is, you have both hurt each other." Zoe was about to interject when Lemon held up her hand. "Yes, he cheated on you but like I said before you left, you forgave him. You weren't here to see him mope around after you sent that email. He told you he LOVED you and you returned with Joel, telling everyone in town how happy and in love you were. You even bought a house! And now you expect him to just believe you love him and jump back in. His heart was broken into tiny pieces and just as it was starting to heal, it broke again. He won't admit this easily but when things ended with Vivian, he was more hurt because it reminded him of how much it hurt when things ended with you. He loves you Zoe, I know he does. But he isn't going to just take you back so easily. He is hurting and you need to assure him that you aren't going anywhere. You need to show him that he is your ONLY choice. That you aren't going anywhere ever again. Cause Doctor Hart, once you two get back together, this is it for him. He will never be with anyone else again and if you hurt him, I will kill you. I mean that in the nicest way, of course. You better be sure before you get him hooked again. That boy cannot take another heart break at your hands."

Zoe looked at her, tears in her eyes. "Lemon, Wade is the one. I know that now. It may have taken me a while to get there but he is the only person I want to be with. When we get back together, this is it for me as well. I have never felt this way about anyone and even when I was telling Joel that I loved him, I never felt as strongly as I do or ever did for Wade." Lemon smiled at her, "I don't think I'm the one you should be telling this to. Come on AB, let's go get coffee." With that, the two of them got up and left. Zoe put her head on her desk and decided it was time to sit down and have a long overdue talk with Wade.

The next morning, Zoe went to the office early. She didn't want to see Wade just yet; she still hadn't worked out what to say to him. She spent the rest of the day seeing patients and staying under the radar. Just as she was about to leave for the night, Wade stormed into her office. Her face lit up. "Doc," he said breathlessly, "You gotta come quick. Earl called and said there was a medical emergency." Zoe grabbed her medical bag and followed him to his car.

When they got to Earl's place, what they were met with shocked them. Earl was standing there at a table set with candles and flowers. They both stood there in awe. "About time. If this was a real emergency, I'd be dead already!" "Uh... Earl. What is this?" Wade enquired. "You two need to stop beatin' round the bush and talk things through. I want grandbabies from the two of you. So get talkin' cause I ain't gonna be round forever! Dinner will be served in 10 minutes." He went into the kitchen and they reluctantly sat at the table.

They sat in silence for a while and after Earl brought the dinner out, the tension still hadn't ebbed. Eventually, Zoe broke the silence. "Wade. I think Earl is right. We need to talk about everything." He nodded slowly and put his elbows on the table, ready for what was about to come. Zoe sighed and was about to start talking when Wade started first.

"Doc, I love you. I always have. But that doesn't mean we can be together. There is too much hurt between us. When you came back with Joel and looked so happy, I tried to act like I was fine but it killed me every time I saw you together. I told you I loved you! And you ran off and came back with someone new. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me? After I read that email, it was easier for me to try move on cause I knew I wouldn't have to see you again but then you came back and I had hope. How do I know you aren't gonna leave again? I don't think my heart can take another blow. Even when I was with Vivian, I never stopped loving you. But I can't do this Zo. I just can't. You're gonna leave again, whether it's physically or emotionally. We both know you ain't gonna be happy with me for the rest of your life. I worked so hard to be the man you knew I could be and it still wasn' good enough for you when it came down to it. Why now?" He looked down. Zoe reached across the table, taking his hand in hers.

"Wade. I don't know how many ways I can tell you this but I love you. And only you. I was in denial and while Joel was a great guy, he wasn't you. He could never measure up to you. You and me are meant to be! I'm sorry I came back with Joel but I think it needed to happen. We both needed to be in functional relationships to see that we CAN do it. It was all part of a cosmic plan to lead us back to each other." Wade snorted slightly at this and Zoe scowled at him playfully. "Ok, maybe not a cosmic plan but you know what I mean. We needed to grow separately and get over our childish games before we could truly work. I was wrong to try and seduce you the other night. But I was out of ideas! I want to do this right. No casually monogamous, no George Tucker, no pressuring you into a band you don't want to be in. Just so you know, WHEN we get back together, I am all in, forever. That might scare you. But it's the truth. I don't want anyone else ever again." Wade smiled and wanted to give in but he hesitated. "I love you, Doc. And I want to jump right in but I need time." Zoe nodded in understanding. The tension eased and they spent the rest of dinner laughing and joking in a way that was uniquely them. Now that everything was out on the table, things were a lot better. Zoe smiled knowing that there was hope.

Wade pulled the car up outside the carriage house and got out to open the door for Zoe. He held out her hand for her to help her out the car. They walked up the stairs to her door, neither bothering to let go of the other's hand. They stood there, looking at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Zoe had said what she needed to say and Wade said he needed time. The ball was now in his court, it was his move. He moved forward slightly and kissed her on the cheek, lingering slightly too long. "Good night Doc, I had a really good time tonight." She smiled and went inside as he turned and made his way down the stairs.

The next few days, Wade and Zoe spent the majority of their time together. They spent mornings bickering in Lavon's kitchen and by the end of her work day; Wade had wine waiting for her at the Rammer Jammer. She would hang around at the bar until closing and they would head home together, always ending up back at his place, playing video games. Zoe wanted to suggest a strip version of whatever game they chose each night but she was respecting his need for time. Even though he said he needed time, they were definitely flirting. Constantly finding a reason to touch each other, leaning too close, lingering too long. The entire town could see and they were all watching to see when Wade would finally decide to give in to what his heart wants. He had always been stubborn but the entire town agreed: it was about time he got his doctor back. About two weeks later, Zoe waited till closing at the bar but this time, Wade parked the car outside her house. She looked at him confused as he walked around the car to open the door for her. When she asked if he was coming in, he said that he was too tired and a disappointed Zoe went into her carriage house, alone.

Just after she closed the door, Wade knocked loudly which caught her off guard. When she opened the door, he was standing there with a look on his face that she recognised. He smiled slightly and stepped forward. He cupped her face with his hands. He leaned in slightly and whispered, "I love you Doc. I was stupid to wait so long to do this. I'm ready. I can't wait to start our lives together." He leant in and kissed her with so much passion and love. She smiled into his mouth and he pushed her into her carriage house. This time, he didn't stop when she told him she loved him, instead he told her loved her more and kissed her senseless. This was definitely the start of something great.


End file.
